Page 85 - Lean six sigma demystified

64 Lean Six Sigma DemystifieD
? still struggling

It’s easier to understand “Stop the Line” in a manufacturing plant, but what
about a service like healthcare? Virginia Mason hospital encourages every
doctor, nurse, patient or family member to call a “patient safety alert” (PSA)
which brings managers, clinicians and families together to solve a potential
problem that could harm a patient. What kind of alert system could you
implement?

Production Floor Problem Solving

Once you’ve redesigned the value stream or work flow, you will want to con-
tinuously improve the process. Toyota does not have a Six Sigma program, but
they have one of the highest levels of quality in the industry. Toyota says “Most
problems do not call for complex statistical analysis, but instead require pains-
taking, detailed problem solving. We have a very sophisticated technique for
solving problems: We ask ‘Why?’ five times.”
Your goal is to compete against perfection, not competitors. Here’s where
Lean Six Sigma comes into play. The idea of perfection through endless
improvements is key to Lean thinking. You can’t start at perfection, but you can
arrive at perfection by iteration.

Seeing and hearing things with your own eyes and ears is a critical first step in improv-
ing or creating a breakthrough. Once you start observing carefully, all kinds of insights
and opportunities can open up.
—Tom Kelly CEO of IDEO

1. Go and see where production was stopped.
2. Analyze the situation.
3. Use one-piece flow to surface problems.
4. Ask “Why?” five times.

Lean Six Sigma can help drill down into more complex problems using data
collected from daily operation.